Collection
by TheGrimLlama
Summary: I figured I'd start throwing all my one-shots into a pile and posting them all here.
1. The Flirt Off

I wasn't going to post this, but it was too fun to keep to myself so here you go!

Emily vaguely remembered how it started. Thinking back, she realised that she wasn't sure about much at that moment after learning that Beca and Chloe had never actually been an item. Even the way she'd found out had confused the crap out of her. She'd been sitting on the couch, when Stacie had plonked herself down on Emily's lap with two cups of vodka.

"What is happening?"

Stacie grinned and pressed the cup into Emily's hand, "Aca-mom broke up with the Treble…" Emily's confusion must have shown clearly, "Jesse dumped Beca. She's not even sad! We're getting drunk. Get with the program, Legacy!"

"Beca? Jesse?"

Stacie nodded slowly, "Wait… Did you not… You didn't know about B and Jesse?"

Emily shook her head and sipped the drink that Stacie had handed her. She coughed slightly. It was strong. "So where are the other Bella's then?"

"Well, Chloe and Beca have just returned from their coffee not-date… Amy, CR, Lilly and Flo are in class until four and I last saw Jessley upstairs…"

"Both Jessley's?"

Stacie wriggled her eyebrows, "Both Jessley's…"

"Oh god… Don't do that," Emily said, "I want to be able to look them in the eye without picturing them… Nope… You've done it… God…"

Stacie snorted into her cup before sliding off Emily's lap, "You're welcome!"

"So you still haven't told me why I'm drinking vodka at three in the afternoon when I should be reading my advanced Chem textbook."

"It's five o'clock somewhere and here in the Bella house, we have a break up tradition to uphold." Stacie's statement was backed up by Chloe and Beca dropping to the carpet with a bottle of tequila and a carton of juice. "Drink up, Legacy!"

By the time the other Bella's turned up, the four girls in the lounge room had enough to drink to be sufficiently giggly. Cynthia Rose shook her head, "Damn B. You couldn't wait until a reasonable hour to break the news?"

Beca grinned up at them, "It's five o'clock somewhere, CR! Why am I not sad about this? Is this normal?"

Fat Amy rolled her eyes, "Probably because you haven't actually been in a relationship with Jesse for over a year. He was basically your booty call, short stuff."

Chloe laughed raucously beside Beca, "That's what he said!"

Beca pushed Chloe's shoulder and grabbed the yellow cup in her hand as Chloe fell sideways, still giggling like mad. "Nice catch, Becs!"

"Yes, as sad as it is, that was exactly what Jesse the douchebag Treblemaker said when he broke my heart… Well, clearly he didn't break my heart because… I'm fine. Like, really fine…"

"Yeah you are!" Stacie called from her reclaimed perch on Emily's lap. She bounced up and down a few times, causing Emily to squeal painfully, "Oh my god! You need to relearn how to pick up…!"

"Yes! I am the queen of pick-up lines!" Chloe giggled, finally returning to a sitting position.

Beca glanced sideways at Chloe, "Aca-scuse me? I think you're mistaken… As are you Stacie. _I_ am the pick-up line queen."

So that was basically the moment that Chloe and Beca's _flirt-off_ began. The Bella's had thought it was hilarious at first. And it was. It really was.

Emily chuckled as she remembered the first time sober Chloe had challenged Beca. Emily had been sitting at the breakfast bar before classes started and Beca had entered the kitchen to find Chloe slaving over the stove. She sniffed a couple of times and started to grab a cereal box from the cupboard. Chloe slammed the cupboard shut, almost nipping Beca's fingers as it slammed shut, "Don't!"

"Dude, I'm starving…"

Chloe smirked, "I'm cooking you a Dr Seuss special…"

Beca glance at Emily, who had completely ignored her own breakfast to watch the interaction, "A what?"

"Green eggs and damn, because you are looking hot this morning… Is that a new sweater?"

Beca smirked, "Oh! Smooth! And yes, I bought it yesterday, feel it…"

Chloe's smug grin dropped for a moment as she touched the fabric, "What's so special about it?"

"It's girlfriend material," Beca deadpanned. Chloe rolled her eyes at Beca's cocky stance and continued cooking.

"Whoa!" Emily said, she picked up her bowl and high fived Beca on the way to the sink. Beca had definitely won that round. "Sorry, Chloe, but you walked right into that one…"

It soon became a game, one would initiate and try to throw the other off, but fortunately they were fairly evenly matched, causing more than a few moments of utter hilarity throughout the Bella house.

The next time Emily was present for a challenge, Beca had arrived home late for dinner and walked straight up to Chloe, "Sorry, I'm late. I was gonna send you something sexy but the mailman told me to get out of the post box…"

Chloe chuckled slightly before slapping her forehead, "Ugh… Thanks for the reminder…"

"Huh?" By this stage, the Bella's had all ceased eating and were staring at their two captains.

"I have a Russian Lit paper due."

Beca scratched her head, "How did I remind you of your paper?"

Chloe smirked, "Because it's something else that I'm not doing that I definitely should be…"

Beca nodded as the room erupted in cheers, "All right, you got me there."

After a while, Beca and Chloe began keeping score. After three months, it was getting to the stage where the sexual tension in the house was at an all-time high. Emily was sure that one of them would crack soon. Sure enough, it happened. Emily and Stacie had ordered in, most of the other Bella's were out and about at various events, meaning that pizza was actually a cost effective option. Beca had wandered into the dining room, just as Chloe had placed the pizza on the table.

"Awesome, did you know pizza is my second favourite thing to eat?"

Chloe frowned, "Don't…"

Emily, being the naïve little thing that she was, regretted her next words, "Really? What's the first?"

Beca smirked and turned to Chloe, "Wanna come upstairs and find out?"

"Oh god."

Chloe flipped her hair and cocked an eyebrow, "Well considering _you_ were on my list of things to do tonight, sure."

There was a moment of silence before Chloe grabbed Beca's hand and dragged her up the stairs, leaving Emily and Stacie staring open mouthed at the hallway. There was a loud slam and a thud from somewhere in the vicinity of Chloe's bedroom.

"Did she just…"

"I think so," Stacie said, she started to reach for the pizza when a moan drifted down from the hallway. "On second thoughts, let's eat this somewhere else."


	2. The Photo Booth

_**If you follow me on Tumblr, you may have already seen this.**_

 _ **Also, to the guest requesting the angsty prompt- I'm not really one for writing stuff like that, but if I ever decide to give it a go, it'll end up in here ;)**_

The first time Chloe suggested it, Beca had said no. There was no way she was getting squeezed into a tiny camera box with Chloe. No effing way. Sure enough, Chloe had somehow managed to talk her into it.

So that's how she ended up walking out of the mall with a strip of photos of Chloe pulling faces at her as she frowned at the camera. It somehow became a tradition. Chloe would find a photo booth. Chloe would beg Beca to join her in the photo booth. Beca would act as unimpressed as she could at Chloe's antics.

Eventually, Beca's impassive face became a smirk. After two years that smirk became a smile. After three, Beca was freely joining in on the face pulling.

Every time, they walked away with a strip of pictures stashed away and silly grins on their faces. During their first year out of Barden, Chloe had come to visit Beca in LA. Beca had scoped out the local malls, finding each and every photo booth within a 10 minute drive from her office.

They spent all of one Saturday morning visiting as many as they could. In the first booth, Beca frowned, just as she did the first time that Chloe had dragged her into the booth. The second one, she smirked. Chloe had poked her in the ribs, trying to get her to join in. It was at the third booth that Beca joined in, just as she always did. Even going so far as to drop kisses on Chloe's face, watching her cheeks turn pink on the screen in front of them.

Chloe had walked away from that one grinning like an idiot and gushing at how adorable the pictures were.

Finally, Beca found the last booth she'd planned to take Chloe to. She was a little nervous, but she knew that Chloe would get suspicious if she showed it. Beca dragged Chloe into the photo booth.

Chloe gave a smirking Beca an exasperated glance in the first shot.

The second, she was suspicious of the cheeky grin on Beca's face.

The third was impassive as she tried to comprehend what was written on the paper in Beca's hands.

The fourth, she was wrapped around Beca, kissing her.

The final picture was Beca's favourite. She had a huge grin on her face, and was giving the camera a thumbs up. Her favourite part though, was the look of pure happiness on Chloe's face as she held up her newly adorned left hand to the camera.


	3. Home

_**Trigger warnings for this chapter guys. I don't normally write this type of thing, but someone has challenged me, now here it is... Please, if you ever think someone in your life needs help, do not hesitate to contact someone.**_

 _Losing your mind is a slippery slope. It's almost like climbing up a muddy hill in the pouring rain. I'd never understood how people could be driven to suicide. I'm always been the person hearing about it and using the word selfish… well, I was. I never meant for this to happen. I never meant to let myself get to this stage._

 _I've tried. God, I've tried to help myself. You've tried to help me._

 _Fuck Chloe. If I could take back the last six months for you I would. I'd take it back and take the help you offered me all those months ago. I thought I was ok._

 _Clearly, I couldn't see what you could. I can read you like a book, Chlo. I knew you were worried, but I ignored it. I ignored every fucking warning sign that you could imagine. I tried the pills, Chlo. I did. You know I did. You were there every morning, bright smile that never quite reached your eyes, reminding me to take them._

 _The cloud is still there Chloe._

 _It never went away._

 _I'm so fucking scared._

The bell rang furiously above the door, signalling the end of another school day. Chloe stood from her chair and dismissed the students in front of her. She couldn't shake the empty feeling in the pit of her stomach as she twisted her engagement ring around her finger. There had been something off about Beca this morning. She'd been happy. Too happy almost.

Chloe hated the idea that Beca being happy was now a cause for concern. She hated the fact that Beca had slipped into such a slump without her noticing. At first she'd been angry at her fiancé. Thinking, maybe if Beca had been paying more attention to herself, she wouldn't have got that low. Now she just blamed herself. How could she claim to love Beca so much and still not noticed the horrifying depth of anxiety and depression that had completely totalled her fiancé.

She packed up her bag, checking her phone. One new message from Beca. Four words.

 _I love you, ChloBear._

Chloe smiled, and sent back, _I love you too, nerd._

The emptiness returned as she let herself into the car. Beca usually answered her fairly quickly. She was probably in the shower. Or working.

Probably working.

She worked far too much. Chloe sometimes thought that maybe Beca's lack of regular sleep schedule attributed to how quickly she'd been swallowed by her depression. The psychologist had been helping. At least, she thinks he has been. Beca hadn't had a relapse bout of self-harm in nearly six weeks. Chloe had been so proud when Beca had made it four weeks without a new mark appearing. It was the first time that they'd made love and not had any fresh physical reminders of Beca's fears.

Chloe smiled at the thought as she pulled into the driveway of their small three bedroom house. It was the perfect suburban abode; picket fence, azaleas, even an apple tree in the backyard. They'd fallen in love with it the second they'd found it.

"Becs?"

Chloe slipped her shoes off and placed them neatly beside one of Beca's many pairs of hi-tops. She shrugged out of her coat and hung it in the closet, "Beca?"

She frowned. Beca's laptop bag and coffee cup were still on the table, sitting in the exact position they were when Chloe had left for work. A thrill of dread shot through Chloe. She dampened it with the thought that she was definitely overreacting. The shower was running upstairs. Beca had obviously just made herself another cup of coffee when she'd got home. Chloe tried to shut down the idea that Beca could barely work the coffee machine on a good day.

Her heart hammered as she bounded up the stairs two at a time. The sickly black feeling oozing through her like molasses. Beca was fine.

"Becs? How was your day, babe?" Chloe said again. She hated that her voice had cracked mid-sentence. She hated that fear was pressing against her throat, suffocating her more with every step towards their ensuite.

Silence.

Chloe breathed in, pushing the door open. The creak was deafening, steam spewing from the room as Chloe pulled back the shower door.

 _The last eight years with you have been the best of my life, Chloe. You were the one constant, the one thing that made my life worth something. I know that it may not seem like it at times, but I love you. I love you more than anything._

 _I can't keep putting you through this, Chloe. You deserve to be happy. You deserve love. You deserve everything._

 _I can't give you everything right now Chloe. I hate myself so much for what I'm putting you through. How can someone so perfect want someone like me? I'm broken. I'm nothing._

Chloe stifled the scream that broke the silence of the bathroom. Steam stung her eyes as she reached for the naked form of her fiancé, slumped against the wall. She took Beca's face in her hands, her eyes were hollow.

"Becs…"

"I don't deserve you, Chlo. You need so much more than this," Beca said. Her voice was hoarse and weak. The voice of someone who had given up. Chloe pulled Beca close squeezing into the tiny cubicle behind her fiancé, not even bothering to remove her suit. She wrapped her arms around Beca's tiny form. She'd lost so much weight in the last three months.

"Beca, I love you."

Beca reached up with one hand, refusing to meet Chloe's eyes. She was beyond tears but Chloe? Chloe was sobbing. The huge gasps were wracking her body with every breath.

"I love you too, Chloe."

 _I just want the pain to go away Chloe. I'm sick of feeling inadequate. I hate that you have to settle for someone damaged like me. You deserve the world Chloe._

 _Do you remember our first date? I took you to that clearing near the astronomy building at Barden. We didn't even realise it was a date until the clock ticked over to midnight. We were so happy. I was so happy. I'd been pining after you for months you know. We'd just had that awful Bella's rehearsal where Stacie and Emily were too busy flirting to watch where they were going. I still remember the look on CR's face when Stacie brought her home from the hospital with stitches. You were so annoyed at them. Poor Emily nearly cried. So I grabbed your hand and dragged you out of the house. I knew that you needed something to take your mind off it all. I didn't realise that what you needed was me._

Chloe didn't know how long she'd been sitting in there. Her throat was raw from crying and her chest ached. The water had long since gone cold. She looked down at her fiancé.

"I'm so sorry, Beca. I…"

There was a moment of silence, Beca's hand tightened around Chloe's fingers, "Stop apologising."

Chloe turned Beca's arm over, double… triple checking that she hadn't missed any injuries that Beca may have inflicted in the last few hours. Her skin was clean and clear. Slightly pruney, but still intact. Chloe sighed in relief as she eyed the blade that was glinting in the crisp bathroom light.

"I couldn't do it, Chlo. I took my pills. I washed em down with some beer… It would've been easier than falling asleep…"

Chloe sobbed into Beca's shoulder as the realisation of the situation hit her. She'd almost lost Beca today. _She'd almost… fuck._

"I thought of you…" Chloe looked up, watching a lone tear track down Beca's cheek as she stared blankly at the tiles ahead. "I wrote you a letter and everything."

"Bec…"

"Chloe, let me… I need to… Please," Beca was begging her. Chloe nodded for her to continue, attempting to stifle the sobs that were still shocking her body. "I need to say this. I want to end this so badly Chlo… I hate seeing you like this… and every time… I'm doing this to you Chloe."

Chloe wanted to butt in. To tell Beca she was wrong. To tell her that she was worried over nothing. But she respected Beca's need to speak.

"I realised something today, Chloe. If I went through with this… God… If I actually managed to kill my _stupid_ self… It would… You'd… I thought you'd move on… I thought you'd be sad for a little and maybe one day, get married to someone, have two point five kids and be so happy… I realised that… If I did this… You wouldn't recover. You once said we were forever. We are Chloe. This is it for me. You are my home."

 _When I started writing this, ChloBear, I had every intention of succeeding… But after writing this…_

 _I'm not gonna die._

 _I'm gonna live. For you._


	4. Birthday Blues

Beca could feel the throb of the speakers in her chest as she leaned her head against the wall. She really shouldn't have had that last vodka. The bar was packed with people, family, friends, colleagues, all celebrating Chloe's birthday. They'd all drunk too much and were all listening to the less than perfect house DJ, who clearly needed to work on his transitions. So here she was, hiding out in the wings of the bar, hoping that the room would stop spinning. She jumped as someone else slipped through the curtain and leaned next to her, "Becsss!"

She giggled at Chloe's slurred speech, "What?"

"Who're you hiding from?" she said, her face centimetres from Beca's ear.

"No one, just relaxing. I think I've had too much to drink… The whole bar is spinning… You, wall! Stop spinning!" she said, pressing her finger against the wall. "Hold me up?"

Chloe giggled and wrapped her arms around Beca's waist. Beca wasn't quite ready for Chloe's body weight and fell backwards against the wall. She let out a drunken laugh and placed her arms loosely around her friend's neck for stability.

"You know what people are going to think if they see this right?" Chloe said, her face buried into Beca's neck.

"Don't care, just want to cuddle," she replied, she was too far gone to worry about anything by that stage.

Beca felt Chloe's nose nudge her neck, "What? Beca Mitchell? You want to cuddle?"

"Don't make a big deal about it… I'm too drunk to even think straight and neither are you… _"_

Thinking back, Beca had no idea who made the first move. All she remembered is one minute she was hugging her best friend behind a curtain, the next, she had her mouth fused to Chloe's and her legs around the redhead's waist.

It was a fiery kiss, Beca couldn't remember the last time that Jesse had made her feel this way. She moaned into Chloe's mouth as she was backed further into the wall. She knew she shouldn't be doing this. There was a slight shuffle as one of Chloe's hands slid up the outside of Beca's thigh. She leaned forward and latched onto Chloe's neck, grating her teeth softly across the skin.

"Beca," Chloe murmured, "We need to…"

"Don't finish that sentence," she said, hiding her face in Chloe's shoulder. She breathed in her scent for a few seconds before lifting her head and looking her in the eye. "You're going to regret this in the morning, aren't you?"

Chloe nodded, "I don't want to, but… God, you're Jesse's girlfriend!"

"I know, I'm sorry," Beca said, unwrapping her legs from Chloe's waist.

Chloe tugged at the hem of her dress, "I'm so sorry, Becs." Beca rested her head against the wall as Chloe quickly exited the alcove. Tomorrow was going to be interesting.


	5. Birthday Blues pt 2

**I had a few requests for a continuation of Birthday Blues...**

Waking up with cotton mouth was on Chloe Beale's list of pet peeves. Waking up with cotton mouth and a splitting headache thanks to a vodka induced hangover? _Probably well deserved._ She whined pitifully, trying to nudge her face under the pillow to shade her eyes from the early morning sun streaming through the curtains. "Fine! I'm up," she grumbled, kicking the quilt from her legs. She sat up, gazing groggily around the room trying to put together the night before.

Her birthday was the one night per year that Chloe allowed herself the chance to write herself off, and it seemed like she'd managed it last night. She untwisted the tee that she'd clearly had some help getting into the night before, if the dress hanging over the desk was to be trusted. Normally Chloe would have dumped it on the floor, or heck, even slept in it. Beca probably helped her.

Beca.

Why was thinking about her best friend giving her heart palpitations? Chloe tapped her head lightly. She vaguely remembered Beca disappearing around one. It had been just after Chloe had messaged her a candid snap of Aubrey pinning Stacie to one of the large amplifiers. She'd said goodbye to Jesse, he'd been a little out of it. Certainly not his cheery, cheesy self. He'd leaned over and whispered happy birthday, before letting her know that Beca was hiding out in the back behind the stage curtains.

Of course. Chloe had waved him off. She'd been stopped on the way to the curtains by one of the bar staff, so she'd slammed two more of those ridiculous jelly shots, the ones you basically had to be a gold star lesbian to knock back in one go.

Jelly shots. Then she'd ducked into the curtain… _Fuck._

There was a timid knock at the door. Chloe closed her eyes, hoping to hell that her brain was mixing up reality and fantasy.

"Chlo?" The door cracked. Chloe breathed in deeply as the smell of fresh coffee wafted into her room, "Made you coffee."

Chloe grinned up at Beca, who, much like Chloe, was still sporting bed hair and conveniently lacking a pair of sweatpants. "Thanks."

Chloe watched Beca shift slightly, handing over the mug before seating herself at the foot of Chloe's bed. "How's that head?"

There was a beat, Chloe took the moment to ground herself before continuing what had the potential to be a severely awkward conversation. Finally, settling on the words, Chloe let out a chuckle, "Confused?"

Chloe grabbed Beca's foot as it jabbed lightly at her thigh, "Why did that sound like a question and not a statement?"

She looked up, noticing that Beca was thoroughly focussed on a loose thread that had escaped the quilt seam. "Because I don't really want to ask what's going through my head right now."

Beca nodded. Chloe could read that woman like a book. Right now, the book was telling her to just ask. _Like a band aid, Chlo_. "Did we… Behind the curtains… That happened right? I'm not just imagining myself pinning you to a wall?"

Surprisingly enough, Beca chuckled and actually made eye contact. "Yeah… That happened. I'm…"

"If you apologise, I'm going to toss this coffee at you. Which would be a shame, because it's really good. Thanks."

Beca nodded and sipped at the cup in her hand, before glancing coyly up at Chloe, "I have a confession to make."

Chloe slid back into the bed, that was never a good phrase to hear. She pressed her lips together, steeling her still cloudy head for any number of let downs that were surely about to start spewing from Beca.

"So I wasn't… entirely honest with you last night," Beca said. She was tapping her fingers against her coffee mug, a sure sign that she was nervous. "Do you remember… what you said? Why we stopped?"

Chloe closed her eyes, mentally replaying the scene in her head, attempting to fight the flush that warmed her body. " _You're Jesse's girlfriend."_

Beca nodded, "So about that… I was hiding. Because I'd just had a fight with him."

"Oh, Becs…"

Beca held up a finger, "He asked me to choose between moving to New York with him or staying here with my best friend."

Chloe's heart sank, "Oh."

"So I broke up with him."

Chloe's eyes snapped open, boring into Beca's. Beca nudged Chloe's thigh with her toe again, her eyes begging for Chloe to say something. "Oh."

"Oh?"

Chloe drained the last of her coffee and placed the empty cup on the bedside table, anything to keep herself from making a horribly presumptuous move. "Oh. Are you okay?"

Beca snorted and leaned across Chloe, sliding her own cup onto the table, "You're actually asking me that?"

Chloe leaned back onto her elbows, Beca had somehow ended up straddling her thighs and was grinning deviously. "Uh… Should I not be?"

"Well, I know there is something you should be doing with that mouth… Asking me stupid questions isn't what I had in mind…"

It clicked.

There it was.

Beca hadn't been Jesse's girlfriend last night.

Beca had _wanted_ to kiss her last night.

"Well, Beca kinda wants to kiss you now… If you're cool with that…"

Chloe blinked up at her friend, "I said that out loud?"

Beca laughed, "Kinda."


	6. Disruptive

Beca Mitchell liked to think that she was a pretty composed person, mature even. She rarely had patience for people who couldn't pay attention for short periods of time, for instance, the hour-long Bella's rehearsals.

Unfortunately for Beca, there were some days when she actually fell into that category. Today, for instance, she had failed to factor in her current mood. One that she rarely encountered. You see, today, Beca was dealing with an unfortunate mixture of emotions. She hadn't encountered this particular mood in the last few months. Today had been odd.

She'd had a very rare day off from her internship. She'd even asked Chloe to run interference through the house so that she could get a decent sleep in. So when her phone rang at god knows what time, she'd been annoyed, to say the least. When she'd answered the phone however, her annoyance was quickly replaced with curiosity at the sound of her boss's voice. "How would you like to interview for a production assistant position in our LA studio?"

Cue Beca's first emotion. Excitement. Excited Beca was an aloof, rambling mess of a girl, who failed to string a decent sentence together without sounding douche-y.

Her first answer had been, "Uh, yeah… That'd be awes..." (Damn Chloe and her frat boy vocabulary). She'd immediately tacked on the ome trying to make herself sound at least a little more credible. After hanging up the phone, she promptly checked the email sent through, to confirm that she had just received a call. She had to check that she hadn't just experienced a lucid dream of some sort. After she'd confirmed this, she'd run down stairs. Not even pausing to replace the sweatpants she'd kicked off mid-way through the night.

The occupants of the Bella house were used to the odd break down. So when their captain came barrelling down the stairs in an oversized tee and boylegs, they watched warily. Beca made a beeline for the kitchen, where Chloe was currently teaching Emily to make gingerbread. She squeezed into the space between the two girls, planting a smacking kiss on each girl's cheek.

"Guess who has an interview in LA pitches!"

Chloe had squealed loudly, wrapping herself around Beca swinging her around.

Beca, who would normally shrug away and escape at the current situation, laughed and tried to grumble at Chloe to put her down. It came out sounding more like a coy giggle. She turned to Emily and pointed a finger at her, "Legacy!"

"What'd I do?"

"Guess what?"

"Uh? You have an interview in LA?" Emily said, she glanced around the room at the other Bella's, all of whom were watching with varying levels of amusement.

"Your demo, dude! It's been sent out to, like, twelve artists!"

"What!?" Emily's smile was infectious, which led to Beca's second emotion. Happiness.

Happy Beca was a little calmer than excited Beca. She was a little less awkward, and a little more sarcasm. Mix the two together? It was a recipe for what Chloe had called Disruptive Little Shit Beca. It was basically all the fun and games of excited Beca, mixed with the endearing smart ass that was Happy Beca.

"Yeah dude, there should be an email from Residual Heat in your inbox."

Emily bounced a few times before holding a hand up at Chloe, "I'll be right back!" She was gone.

Beca, finally looking around at the appraising looks being given to her by the other Bellas, glanced at her legs, "Ah… right… Well, practice in thirty assholes! Go!"

There was a collective groan as the group trouped upstairs to change. Beca glanced at Chloe, who was leaning against the counter, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"So… LA huh?"

Beca grinned, "Quit checking out my ass, Beale."

"Well, it wouldn't be a problem if you were wearing pants… I'm guessing I'm going to have to deal with DLS Beca today?"

"Excuse me, but that is offensive… And maybe… I dunno, I gotta put on some pants… maybe a bra…"

"Leave the bra and I'll give you first dibs on the cookies," Chloe laughed. Beca backed away, a confident smirk firmly in place, "Are we talking cookies or cookies?"

"Pants! Go!" Beca disappeared with a laugh. Chloe ran a hand through her hair. Today was going to be interesting.

Chloe leaned against the piano, sighing. They were fifteen minutes into rehearsal and she was already regretting taking point for Beca, who clearly was not in a captain mindset. Vocal warm ups had been a nightmare and Chloe found herself regretting ever showing Beca the goat remix youtube videos.

"Right first run through. Line up Bellas!"

There were a few grumbles from Amy's end, a few giggles from Jessica and a rather out of character hip wiggle from Beca, "Save it for the run through, J-Lo," Chloe said. Beca stuck her tongue out and for a moment, it seemed as though they'd get through the set without any stuff ups.

Beca's performance face was on, Chloe would never admit that she found that determined look sexy. They slapped their hand, creating the rhythm that Beca had laid out the week before, Chloe's relief had turned to suspicion when Beca faced her for the last of the claps.

Who run the world?

Squirrels! Beca snorted, throwing her head back as she tried to run away from Chloe's grasping hands.

"Beca!"

"Ok! I'm sorry! I'll stop!"

Chloe glared, motioning for the girls to start again. "You better."

They tried again. This time the word squirrels came from Beca, Emily and Stacie, along with laughter from the other Bellas and a groan from Chloe.

"Seriously? You are the captain, Mitchell! Act like it."

Beca saluted Chloe between giggles and straightened her face, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I can do this."

"'S Fine." Chloe blew out an annoyed breath. She channelled her inner Aubrey and yelled, "Again!"

Chloe threw her hands up in exasperation as they failed to make it past the first line again. This time it was Cynthia Rose adding, "Aw shit… Now Bec's got me sayin it too!"

"God damn it, Beca!" Chloe cried out. "Guess what? You've just earned yourself cardio… GO!"

Beca rolled her eyes and held her hands out, dropping to her knees dramatically, "But Chloe, baby… You are my cardio…"

Chloe rolled her eyes, trying to fight the smile that was treacherously attempting to break free. She held up a hand. "Don't start."

"You get my heart racing, Chloe…" Beca took off up the stairs trying to dodge Chloe's hand as it grasped for her.

"Ten minutes girls. You can thank Beca when you're done." The collective groan was spattered with curses at their chuckling captain who was already running the stairs.

Chloe called out at the eight minute mark, "Two minutes!"

"She's lying!" Beca yelled. Chloe rolled her eyes and looked at the pack of women who were still jogging and cursing. She noted that Beca was missing. So was Amy. Chloe stormed up the stair to where she could see a pair of sneakers sticking up behind the seats. Beca was flat on her back, not even attempting to copy Amy.

"Mitchell! Wilson! What the fuck?" Beca jumped, her legs quickly following Amy's.

"We're horizontal running!" Beca laughed, as Chloe glared down at her. There was something about carefree and playful Beca that she couldn't get mad at.

Chloe blew a breath out between pursed lips and tucked a loose curl behind her ear. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Oi, Shawshank? I'd probably get vertical running if you wanna live," Amy stage whispered from over the back of the chair.

Chloe noted the hint of fear in Beca's eyes as she eased herself into a squat, it was oddly satisfying. Beca skipped down to the piano and took a sip from the water bottle. "I love it when you talk dirty, Beale… " Ok, not fear. Challenge. Chloe groaned.

"Seriously, Beca? Can you just focus? I understand you're happy, I get that you're excited, just chill for half an hour so we can get some work done. Please?"

Beca's face softened for a moment, "Ok, stop with the puppy eyes dude."

They managed to get three perfect runs before Chloe called an end to practice. The Bellas filed out of the auditorium, leaving Beca and Chloe to pack up the whiteboard and chairs.

"Sorry about being an asshole," Beca said, sliding the now clean whiteboard against the wall.

"You should be." Chloe said, jabbing a finger against Beca's shoulder. Beca shrugged out of the way, "Ow, dude!"

"Don't ow, dude me. I've only got so much patience for your antics..."

Chloe's voice was stern, but her eyes betrayed her, she loved seeing Beca this happy. "I'm so happy for you."

Beca smiled brilliantly, "I'm pretty happy for me to. So, technically I'm wearing a crop top... Does that count as forgoing a bra?"

Chloe turned her head to stop herself staring directly at her friend's chest. "Really Beca, I will fight you."

Beca held her arms out, it would have seemed like a welcoming gesture, if not for the blatant smirk. "Bring it, Beale."

Chloe lunged forward, a laugh bubbling up as Beca tried to duck under her arm. She caught Beca's arm, and somehow, Beca had managed to trip over her own feet, dragging the two of them to the wooden floor with a SMACK.

There was a struggle, the silence of the auditorium broken only by the echoing squeaks of sneakers and perfectly harmonised giggles.

It was strange how someone as small as Beca could have the strength to overpower Chloe. Chloe was sure it was probably to do with how hard she'd been laughing moments ago. Beca's cheeks were pink with exertion and her hair was starting to fall free of the bun she'd thrown it up in earlier. There was an odd expression on her face, an unreadable mixture of things that tugged at Chloe's stomach.

"What are you doing?" she asked, reaching up, attempting to tickle Beca's ribs. Her hands were promptly detained, held above her head by strong hands.

"I feel like today is gonna be a good day."

"Really?" Chloe asked. At least, she attempted to ask. It came out as more of a squeak than an actual word. She scrunched her nose, trying to hide her face in her shoulder as Beca's giggles started again.

"Stop making me laugh..."

Chloe turned back, "Why?"

Beca glanced up at the doorway, then back down to Chloe. "Because I'm going to kiss you now. And hopefully, you'll kiss me back, instead of punching me in the face, ya know?"

Chloe laughed, "Who says I won't kiss you back and then punch your stupid face?"

Beca's jaw dropped, she straightened her back slightly, "Stupid face?"

Chloe grinned and preyed on Beca's confusion. She twisted her hands free and pinned Beca to the floor beneath her. "Well it took you long enough."

She leaned down and pressed her lips to Beca's. Chloe smiled as Beca's lips moved against hers. Beca's hands tangled in Chloe's hair, pulling her close. There was a moment of silence as Beca pulled away, Chloe's mouth still tingling, her senses still amplified by the scent of Beca's shampoo and the taste of her spearmint toothpaste.

"Dude, you totally just stole my move," Beca mumbled against Chloe's lips.

"Stop talking."


	7. The Beca Mitchell Breakdown Experience

"Twelve stitches? Twelve?"

The shrill yell was audible even through the noise cancelling headphones that Beca was wearing. She sucked a breath in, saving her current mix before wandering down the stairs to see what the drama was about.

"Chlo, it's fine…"

"Don't defend them Cynthia Rose! You are on heavy medication with twelve stitches in your head! This is unacceptable!"

Beca scanned the room. Most of the Bellas were packed into the living room, watching in awkward silence as Chloe addressed Emily and Stacie. She placed a hand on Chloe's shoulder, trying to break Chloe's attention enough to end the tirade. Her hand was shrugged off almost immediately as Chloe rounded on her. Beca held her hands up, "Chloe… CR has…"

"No! Beca! They need to understand…"

"Chloe! Stop." She reached up, putting a hand across Chloe's mouth, "Let me deal with it… Em, Stacie, you… Look, we don't… I mean, like, if you guys are… a thing, that's cool. It's totally cool, but it needs… You can't bring all of that into a Bellas rehearsal."

"Beca! Cynthia Rose has twelve fucking stitches!"

"Chloe!" Beca sighed, and wrapped her fingers around Chloe's wrist. She noticed Chloe's eyes soften a little, "Guys, just… Chloe clearly needs a break…" Beca glared as Chloe opened her mouth to argue, "Try not to kill each other while we're gone. You, get your ass in my car. Go!"

Chloe turned on her heel and stormed out the front door, leaving an embarrassed Stacie and Emily to help CR into an armchair. "Sorry Becs," Stacie mumbled.

"Not me you gotta apologise to," Beca answered with a tight smile. She patted Emily's shoulder, "Don't cry, dude… Chloe is like a blood hound. She smells fear. Also, blueberry pancakes at six thirty and you'll be forgiven in no time. Trust me."

Fifteen minutes and one very secretive stop later, Beca pulled the car onto a heavily wooded dirt road. She noticed Chloe straighten in the passenger seat and glance curiously across the car. "Where…"

"Dude, chill out. I'm not bringing you out here to kill you…" Beca hissed at the slap that stung her arm, "Bitch, I'm navigating a dirt road!"

"Don't be an idiot then. Where are we going?" Chloe asked.

"Just… a place…" Beca focused on the road ahead. The sun had already set making the path difficult to navigate, even with the headlights beaming. "My place," she mumbled. She knew Chloe was still staring, waiting expectantly for an answer. "It's just… I found it after… ya know… when we had that fight… like first year? I come here sometimes."

That seemed plausible enough for Chloe, so she turned back in her seat.

Another five minutes and Beca pulled the car to a stop near a patch of trees, Chloe could just make out the aged wooden sign. _Barden University Astronomy Centre_.

Beca turned the car off and pulled the lever for the trunk, she always kept her basket fully stocked with snacks and a blanket, just in case she needed to get away for a night. She called Chloe over. "Can you grab the cushions from the back seat? Maybe the blanket too, it'll get chilly."

Beca watched Chloe disappear for a moment, reappearing as the trunk shut with a solid thud.

"Beca Mitchell, did you plan this?"

Beca blushed slightly, and was suddenly thankful that the moon was waning and the dim light was nowhere near bright enough to betray her. "Excuse me. I have this in here in case of emergencies… Like this one. Why do you think you've only witnessed one Beca Mitchell Breakdown since I found this place?"

"Hmm, all right. Lead the way," Chloe said. Beca nodded her head toward a narrow path leading away from the building.

"Be careful. I don't need two Bellas injured in one day. Step ups here," she said, slowing down. She let Chloe walk up ahead of her, relishing the sound that her friend made when she finally saw their destination.

The BU Astronomy Building was constructed in a small valley off campus, far enough away from the city lights for the Milky Way to be clearly visible in the sky above the clearing. The moon wasn't in view yet, still hidden behind the heavy tree cover around the hilltop.

"This is my special place, well… one of…" She gently placed the basket on the grass and spread the picnic blanket down. "Before I open the basket… I have one question."

Chloe turned to Beca, an awed expression still clearly etched across her features. She motioned for Beca to continue and sat cross legged on the sheet, tossing the pillows next to her.

"Do you want the full BM Breakdown experience?"

Beca watched Chloe's face carefully, there were so many expressions flitting back and forth that she had to look away. Finally, Chloe reached up and took Beca's hand, pulling her to the blanket.

"That's why we're here, right?" she said.

Beca grinned, "All right! Now we're talking." She reached into the picnic basket, pulling out the two bottles of wine that she'd bought earlier, "Ta da! They're screw tops so… and I had to buy some of those cheap plastic wine glasses… because most of the time I just drink from the bottle and I didn't know how you'd feel about that."

Beca smiled at the tiny giggle that escaped Chloe, "I was really hard on them, wasn't I?"

"Well, kinda… but CR ended up in hospital and has stitches… So a freak out was warranted. Maybe next time, try not to make Emily cry… She's my aca-baby…"  
Beca cracked the top of one wine bottle, pouring some into the crappy cup she'd taken out of the basket. She held it out to Chloe, "Go on. We'll sleep here. If you think this is amazing, wait until sunrise."

Some time during their second bottle of wine, the girls had curled up under the spare blanket that Chloe had carried. They were staring up at the sky, Chloe's head tucked into Beca's shoulder as they swapped childhood stories. Chloe had just given her the story of her first date, a disastrous evening at the local bowling alley owned by the boy's parents.

"He thought he was so smooth… He even tried to _help_ me bowl… I was junior girls champ in my age group!" she said, emphatically. "He had such a tantrum when I beat him..."

Beca looked down at her, "Best date ever?"

Chloe rolled onto her stomach, wrapping an arm around Beca's stomach. Beca wasn't sure if it was the wine that was making her stomach flutter. "That depends."

"On what?"

Chloe grinned coyly, "It depends on whether or not you have the lady balls to actually call this a date and kiss me."

Normally bravery wasn't Beca's strong suit, but there was something about Chloe that brought out the best in her. She leaned forward, ignoring the niggling sensation in her stomach and kissed Chloe softly. "Second best date ever?"


	8. Welcome Home

Do you know that feeling you sometimes get, when you're so excited that your stomach starts back flipping? That was what Chloe Beale was experiencing. She'd been on tenterhooks for the last three minutes, staring at the rectangular object sitting front and centre on her bathroom vanity. What if it's positive? she thought, chewing her thumbnail. Thankfully her alarm chose that moment to go off, saving her nails from further damage. Chloe's hand shot out, fumbling with the object in question. She tapped it a few times and took a deep breath, steeling herself for either the best or worst news of her life.

"Just do it Chloe. The sooner you know, the better," she said. It sounded good in her head, saying it out loud though? That just made her hands tremor with anxiety. "Come on, Chlo… It's a band aid. Just rip it off."

She flipped over the test, her blue eyes honing in on the tiny window at the end. Holy crap.

"Come on!" Chloe growled, slapping her hands firmly against the steering wheel. She hated airport runs, especially at this time of the afternoon, but she hadn't seen Beca in over a month. She'd been in New York for four weeks, doing a rush order on an album. That was the worst part of Beca's success, the fact that she was in such high demand that people would literally fly her to them. This artist had offered to fly Chloe out as well, but it was mid school term, and a month was a long time to leave her students with a sub.

Finally the traffic cleared enough for Chloe to get a fairly close parking space. She jumped for the car, shouldering her bag and grabbing the envelope on the passenger seat. Hopefully it hadn't been damaged during the trip.

She wiped her sweaty palms as she entered the terminal, noting that Beca's flight was now disembarking. Her wait would thankfully not be too long.

She stopped by the café near the baggage carousel, ordering a hot chocolate for herself and a coffee for Beca. She'd barely collected her order when she noticed a short brunette pushing a luggage cart in her direction. Beca's smile was magnificent, there was something about finally seeing it in person that made it so much more beautiful to Chloe. She placed the cups on top of the trolley and wrapped her arms around Beca.

"I missed you."

Chloe felt Beca bury her face into her shoulder, "Missed you too, nerd."

"I have something for you," Chloe said, wiping a stray tear as Beca pulled back.

"Dude… Are you…? Are you crying?"

"I missed you, asshole!" Chloe said, giggling through the tears that she was trying desperately to stop. "Here."

She watched the confusion on Beca's face as the envelope was placed in her hands. "What's…?" Beca fell silent as she read the front of the card. Her face was blank, eyes flitting from the card back to Chloe.

"Open it," Chloe said, nervously bouncing on the balls of her feet.

She watched a tear roll down Beca's cheek as the envelope dropped leaving Beca clutching the card in one hand and the grainy picture in the other. "I searched everywhere for that card. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find a Welcome home Momma card…"

"This is a sonogram…"

Chloe chuckled at the confused look on Beca's face, "Yeah…"

"It worked? It actually… You're pregnant?" The smile that crossed Beca's face in that moment was one that Chloe would remember for a long time. Beca reached a hand out and gently ran it across Chloe's still flat stomach, the smile had softened to a look of amazement. "We're having a baby? An actual small human is in there… right now?"

"Yeah."


	9. Small Bump

**_I'd apologise for the angst, but... you know..._**

Chloe was buzzing, she was sitting in a comfortable chair, next to Aubrey, who was being primped and preened. Aubrey was chatting away happily to the beautician applying her make up.

It had been 6 weeks since Chloe had broken the news to Beca about the baby. Their little Nemo, as Beca had called it. Beca was so excited, Chloe smiled as she remembered the look on her wife's face earlier in the day, as she read an article about how Nemo was now the size of a lime.

"What are you smiling at?"

Chloe looked up at Aubrey who was grinning smugly at her, "Just thinking. I'm so excited for you."

"Are you and that wife of yours going to be able to keep your hands off each other long enough to make it through the rehearsal dinner?"

Chloe scoffed, "Excuse me, Posen. I am a pillar of good behaviour. This is yours and Jesse's night. And I'm guessing Jess is having the same conversation with Becs as we speak…"

Aubrey snorted, "They're playing Gears of War."

Ah, that explains the lack of texts, Chloe thought, rolling her eyes. "You think they're watching the time?"

"Jesse knows that if he misses this dinner, he'll lose his movie room," Aubrey said, matter-of-factly.

The woman in front of Aubrey clapped her hands together, announcing that Aubrey was done, and they were free to change.

Thankfully Beca had packed Chloe's dress into her car the night before. She would've forgotten it otherwise. Aubrey unzipped her dress bag, revealing a navy dress that contrasted well with Chloe's grey dress. Chloe waited for Aubrey to turn around before she shed her own robe.

She and Beca had decided early on to keep Nemo a secret until after Aubrey and Jesse's wedding. The day of the wedding, Chloe would be exactly twelve weeks according to the measurements taken on the sonogram the week prior. They had also decided to keep the card idea, the one Chloe had used to inform Beca. So now, sitting in her handbag was a small silver envelope, with a card embossed with Congratulations Aunt and Uncle! Inside the card, Chloe had slipped an image that her OBGYN had printed off. It actually was starting to resemble a small human, unlike the peanut photo she'd given to Beca.

"Chloe?"

Chloe blinked and noticed Aubrey was staring at her, "Sorry, what?"

"Can you zip me up?"

Chloe gave her friend a smile and tugged on the toggle and the back. She turned back to the dress bag and slipped into her own dress, she giggled as Aubrey struggled with the zip.

"I told you not to eat that pasta for lunch Chlo!"

Chloe chuckled as the zipper jerked and sped up past her shoulders, "See, it's fine, Bree." She turned around and felt her throat tighten slightly, a sure sign that her hormones were about to go haywire. "You look so beautiful, Bree. I'm so happy for you."

And cue tears. Chloe giggled as she failed to hold them back. Aubrey's face dropped, "Aw, Chloe!"

"I'm just so happy for you, Bree."

Aubrey dabbed at Chloe's cheeks with a tissue, "Stop crying. You'll ruin your make up…"

Chloe nodded and sniffed back a few tears, running her hands up Aubrey's arms. "Tomorrow, is going to be the happiest day of your life, and I'm so thankful that you're sharing that with me…"

"I love you Chloe. You're my best friend… Come on, in the car."

Chloe wasn't sure what was happening, she was sitting next to Aubrey and Beca at the Bridal Party table. She'd had a bit of a rough afternoon. They really should call it all-day sickness, Chloe thought. She smiled reassuringly at Beca, who had sent a questioning look in her direction. She took Beca's hand under the table and dropped a quick kiss on her cheek as they listened to Aubrey's mother gush about Jesse.

"You okay?"

Chloe nodded, she wasn't going to mention the niggling cramps that she'd been feeling most of the night. All the books she'd read had said that that was normal and knowing Beca, she'd over react.

Chloe sucked a breath, feeling her body temperature rise along with a bout of nausea. "Becs… I'm just gonna duck to the bathroom. Nemo's making me a little queasy."

Beca chuckled, "Do you…?"

"No, speeches are done. I'll get Aubrey. You can chat with Jesse." Chloe turned to her left, tapping her friend's shoulder, "You want to come for a walk?"

Aubrey nodded and gave her groom-to-be a kiss. There was something off about Chloe. Aubrey couldn't put her finger on it. She could see Chloe's hands trembling slightly as they made the walk to the toilets. She waited until they rounded the corner before questioning Chloe, "What's…? Chlo?"

Chloe placed a steadying hand on the wall, Aubrey grabbed her elbow, "Hon? What's wrong?"

"Just… Feeling a bit queasy. Probably the pasta," Chloe answered with a strained smile. She took a few steps, glancing at Aubrey as her friend gasped dramatically.

"Chlo? What… Your dress… Come on…"

Chloe frowned, that last cramp had been rough. Not at all like the twinges she'd been feeling. Worry bubbled in the pit her gut as Aubrey led her to the bathroom. They walked in, Chloe's worry breaking free in a heavy sob as another cramp doubled her over. "Bree? Get Becs…"

"Chloe, what… there's blood…"

Another sob wracked Chloe's frame as she glanced over her shoulder, taking in the stain that had blossomed on her skirt. Chloe's mind was blank, this couldn't be happening.

 _Not now. Please._

Chloe slid to the floor, still clutching Aubrey's fingers. Aubrey fumbled through her purse, clearly panicking as she dialled Beca's number. "Beca? Get here now. Please. Bring Stace…"

Aubrey hung up the phone, kneeling down in front of Chloe, whose face was pressed into her knees. "Chlo?" Chloe gave an involuntary jolt as another panicked sob fought free. She felt like she was drowning.

"Bree? Can you… My purse…" Chloe said. She had to keep the tiny bit of hope that was flickering in her heart.

Aubrey reached over, never once taking her eyes off Chloe, "What do you need Chloe?"

"Green envelope. Open it please. Read it to me…" Her words were jerky, broken by sobs. "I need hope, Bree."

Aubrey quickly found the envelope in the tiny clutch. She broke the seal, sliding the card from its home. "Congratulations to a very special… Chloe…?"

Chloe heard Aubrey's voice stick, "Please Bree…"

Aubrey quickly wiped a stray tear away, "To a very special Aunt and Uncle?"

Chloe sniffed into her knees, Aubrey could hear the smile in her voice, "Open it."

Aubrey's hands shook as she opened the card. The door to the bathroom flung open, Beca appearing by Chloe's side, "Shhh… Stace is on the phone to the ambulance. They're on their way."

Beca looked up at Aubrey, her face distraught as she noticed the picture that had fluttered to the floor.

 _Why is this happening?_

The blonde was silently crying, clutching at the card in one hand, and Chloe's limp hand in the other.

 _This can't be happening._


End file.
